i watched this film again the other night and was drawn in by those Dodge lorries.... these were the KEW's, if i'm right? interesting plot, decent crew of actors, and those Dodges.... were they diesels, and were they equipped with roots-type scavengers? i ask, because several times during the film, when the prinicipals are accelerating and let off, i hear a distinct whine like a supercharger or turbo on the over-run.
maybe i'm hearing something else, possibly an air compressor?

interesting sidenote: nowhere in the film is there a PC..... i would have thought some of those automobile drivers would have made a complaint about a clearly marked company lorry running them off the road!_________________nothing is ever so far gone as to be unsalvageable. see this bolt?.....

Yup Kew-built Dodges, some came with diesel engines, while proper ones had Chrysler petrol straight-sixes Neither had a s/c on it though, probably some iffy over-dubbing going on (in addition to sped-up film).

i watched this film again the other night and was drawn in by those Dodge lorries.... these were the KEW's, if i'm right? interesting plot, decent crew of actors, and those Dodges.... were they diesels, and were they equipped with roots-type scavengers? i ask, because several times during the film, when the prinicipals are accelerating and let off, i hear a distinct whine like a supercharger or turbo on the over-run.
maybe i'm hearing something else, possibly an air compressor?

interesting sidenote: nowhere in the film is there a PC..... i would have thought some of those automobile drivers would have made a complaint about a clearly marked company lorry running them off the road!

The Dodge Kew's in the film had Perkins R6 Diesel engines and some possibly had P6 engines.
These engines have a vacuum controlled governor, and on the inlet manifold is a butterfly connected to the accelerator pedal.
The whistling sound is created when the throttle butterfly is closed or partially closed creating a vacuum in the inlet manifold, as there is a small amount of air at high velocity being sucked pass the pitot tube at the top of the manifold, this tube is connected by a steel pipe to the injection pump governor diaphragm.

When I was an apprentice HGV mechanic in the 1960's the coal merchant in the yard next to our garage had one of the early Bedford TK's with the four pot diesel engine. He came running into our workshop one day saying that the engine wouldn't turn off, he had fired it up and the governor diapraghm had presumably split and it started screaming its head off. He had hit the pump with a coal hammer, smashing the pump casing, and then smashed all the injector pipes as well but the engine was now running on oil whipped up by the crankshaft! Our foreman calmly covered the air inlet with rag, once it was starved of oxygen then it stopped much like a Human Being would ha ha! Luckily no internal damage was done but I bet there wasn't a deal of carbon left inside it. Blocking the exhaust should acheive much the same result, but panic sets in and common sense goes out of the window.

those dodges belonged to a firn called drinkwaters a sand and gravel firm in bushy in hertfordshire. the bigest part of there fleet were o type bedfords. i drove for them in the sixtes regards gerry snelling

i found the lorries fascinating; so compact compared to even OUR medium duty trucks. the film itself was a relief from endless explosions, needless gunplay and anachronistic social apology..... all the characters fit the scenes, nobody whipped out a tommygun and Stanley Baker sorted it out in the end._________________nothing is ever so far gone as to be unsalvageable. see this bolt?.....

i found the lorries fascinating; so compact compared to even OUR medium duty trucks. the film itself was a relief from endless explosions, needless gunplay and anachronistic social apology..... all the characters fit the scenes, nobody whipped out a tommygun and Stanley Baker sorted it out in the end.

i found the lorries fascinating; so compact compared to even OUR medium duty trucks. the film itself was a relief from endless explosions, needless gunplay and anachronistic social apology..... all the characters fit the scenes, nobody whipped out a tommygun and Stanley Baker sorted it out in the end.

chaps, i was able to watch the whole film on Youtube... matter of fact, i watched "Went the Day Well?" the other evening on YT as well, and "Robbery" just last night, for FREE....
i like British film..... does it show?_________________nothing is ever so far gone as to be unsalvageable. see this bolt?.....

Gents- Great nostalgia and just wanted to say thanks for the thread, most informative. Hell Drivers- one of my favorite fims.
I had wondered about the Perkins engines fitted to the Kews. In one shot you catch sight of an air cleaner that is indicative of Perkins- nice to hear it confirmed.
It's mentioned that they carry 'ten tons'- was that correct? I also believe that Kews are extremely rare now. Are there any left in the UK?

Wilfred Lawson's driving test has to be a classic, and good advice give too: 'these trucks are light on the trigger. No need to fight them the way you're doing'. Sound driving advice

Gents- Great nostalgia and just wanted to say thanks for the thread, most informative. Hell Drivers- one of my favorite fims.
I had wondered about the Perkins engines fitted to the Kews. In one shot you catch sight of an air cleaner that is indicative of Perkins- nice to hear it confirmed.
It's mentioned that they carry 'ten tons'- was that correct? I also believe that Kews are extremely rare now. Are there any left in the UK?

Wilfred Lawson's driving test has to be a classic, and good advice give too: 'these trucks are light on the trigger. No need to fight them the way you're doing'. Sound driving advice

I watched it last night on You tube, great to hear those Perkins Aeroflow Diesels again.
The last time i saw it was at the cinema in Manchester when I was 16 !!
The tester was William Hartnell, later to become the first Doctor Who.
You can see the Perkins logo plate on the cylinder head cover at the beginning of the film and also the oil bath air filter but you need to be really quick to see it.